Cheer team to hone new skills

Aug. 20, 2012

Molly Sittig rehearses a cheer with the Bulldog team Friday morning at the commons. / Luke Tatge/Dell Rapids Tribune

Written by

Baltic’s cheer squad is preparing some new techniques for the coming school year, and Bulldog fans should see the results of a summer of practice in the coming sporting events.

The team’s new coach, Kayla Hieb, is living in Baltic while finishing school in Sioux Falls. She has been involved in cheer and gymnastics her whole life and would like to incorporate more stunting in the squad’s routines this year.

“I want to make sure they have a lot of fun and learn as many new things as possible,” she said. “Fun is a big thing.” The new coach would like to see the girls start to use stunting techniques during starting lineups and half-time of Bulldog games.

As far as planned performances, Hieb hopes to include dance, cheer and stunting in routines to occur during basketball half-times, on top of the pre-existing Homecoming performance.

Some of the team also attended a camp in Brookings to learn skills, including spring floor tumbling, which the coach hopes bolsters the team’s overall effectiveness.

The Bulldog cheer team has been practicing since June and have done so at least once a week every week since.

Senior leadership, including the squad’s two oldest members Jenna Brende and Abby Weinzetl, has helped keep the team happy and informed, according to Hieb.

“They’re very good about making sure everyone knows what they’re doing.”

One of the biggest strengths the girls have is personality and attitude, according to Hieb. “They’re very outgoing. They’re a very bonded group of girls.”

She said this plays a big factor in encouraging crowd involvement and vocal support.

“If I were a football player, I don’t know if I would want to play without people cheering me on,” she said, adding that the squad aims to help the crowd get pumped up for its team.